Surprise for me so far is River Falls. River Falls gave Memorial its toughest game so far in conference..they played hard, had great energy, passed well, defended well and held a lead for most of the first half. Thought they would have a win by now, but they have played the better teams in league so far.
Update: River Falls beat North 1-0 to record their first conference win of the season. I felt it was coming after watching them play against Memorial. Too good not to win some games against the bottom half of the conference.
Team to be careful with: Chippewa Falls. They have a lot of offensive firepower. A ton of speed and quality with their forwards and wingers. They will score a bunch of goals. Early season injuries and missing players caused a slow start to the season. I think they will be tough the rest of the way. I have watch these boys play for many years and they are good. They have a strong GK who will keep them in games. The issue is defense. They are not as solid in their back 4. Size is an issue. The quality in the back does not match their quality up front. If they improve and figure out the defense, watch out…this team might cause problems for others in the league. They have won their last two and are gaining confidence. Their game against Hudson will determine who is chasing Memorial for the title this year. Game is Tuesday in Chippewa. Big game.
Update: Chippewa Falls beat Hudson 2-1 on Tuesday night in what I called the Game of the Week in the conference to move into sole possession of 2nd place in the Big Rivers.. Don’t want to say I called it….but basically I called it in my post. I had a feeling about Chippewa. A huge win for them as they establish themselves as the team to watch and a danger to Memorial for the conference crown. Memorial travels to CF for the next encounter. A tough place to play and a definite home field advantage for the Cardinals. Never been a big fan of their turf…old school…bad bounces, too fast for soccer. Just one man’s opinion, but I think shared by a lot of folks. So, well done Chippewa. Good win. Now you face some pressure as teams will treat you as a big game and ramp up their performance for you . Let’s see how you handle it.